November 18, 2014 | Morning Headlines.

Main Story

Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan elected as the president of South West Somalia

17 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Garowe – 125 words

The former speaker of transitional federal parliament was elected as the new president of South west Somalia-three regions. 373 delegates voted in favor of Sharif Hassan, 15 rejected while 8 delegates abstained. Finally the committee announce Sharif Hassan as the winner of the election and the leader of the regional state. Following the phone, the newly elected Hassan gave a keynote speech. His election comes a time when the speaker of federal parliament said any result against the decision of the government will not be recognized urging the technical committee and the delegates to abide by the rules. Recently the the top leaders of Somalia issued joint statement to suspend the conference for two weeks.

Key Headlines

Somali PM says he has not seen a letter calling him to resign by 14 ministers (Radio RBC/Hiiraan Online)
Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan elected as the president of South West Somalia (Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Garowe)
Displaced families reach Kismayu (Radio Bar-kulan)
Galgadud youth cite nepotism and corruption in jobs (Radio Ergo)
Somaliland Speaker: I will not step down until the exact date of elections be announced (Radio Goobjoog)
Tension remains high as Mombasa police recover eight grenades (Coastweek/ Xinhua)
Kenya police: White widow Samantha Lewthwaite is still in Somalia (Standard Media)
Terrorism fears cripple rotten aid system in hungry Somalia – expert (Trust.org)

SOMALI MEDIA

Somali PM says he has not seen a letter calling him to resign by 14 ministers

17 Nov – Source: Radio RBC/Hiiraan Online – 191 words

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed on Monday said he has not seen the petition letter signed by 14 cabinet ministers calling him to resign. The Prime Minister described a claim by the a member of the council of the ministers who through the media said that 14 ministers handed a petition letter calling the Prime Minister to resign. “Having noted Articles of 97th and 100th of the Provisional Constitution and having considered the bitter situation the country is undergoing, the PM noted that the cabinet is the executive power of the government and needs to execute their responsibilities according to the constitution.” The Prime Minister said in a statement lateon Monday. The Prime Minister mentioned that he would have accepted if members of his cabinet from their positions if they see that they can not execute their national tasks while he also warned the members of his cabinet will split. The PM’s response came following a four-pages letter signed by 14 ministers which on Sundaycalling for the PM to resign from his position as the country’s Prime Minister.

Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan elected as the president of South West Somalia

17 Nov – Source: Radio Dalsan/Radio Goobjoog/Radio Garowe – 125 words

Displaced families reach Kismayu

17 Nov – Source: Radio Bar-kulan – 111 words

More than 340 families displaced by fighting between government forces and Al Shabaab militant group have reached the southern port city of Kismayu. Mohamed Muse Ali who is member of the displaced families has told Bar-Kulan about the appalling conditions which the families live in. Ali said the displace families did not receive any aid since they came to the IDP camp. The IDPs who left their livestock and farms due to the fighting are appealing to the humanitarian organizations for an urgent help. The fighting between Al Shabaab militant group and Somali national army has displaced hundreds of families in the area.

Galgadud youth cite nepotism and corruption in jobs

17 Nov – Source: Radio Ergo – 304 words

Young graduates in Adado district say nepotism and corruption are preventing them from getting jobs. Abdifatah Ahmed Farah, 26, a newly married graduate from a Mogadishu university, said he had been job hunting for a long time. “The biggest problem we are facing is that many employers here are hiring employees on the basis of nepotism and favoritism,” he said. Young female graduates in Galgadud region are reported to be the worst affected by unemployment. Speaking to Radio Ergo, university graduate Dekha Yussuf Abtidon said corruption and nepotism was worsts within the non-governmental sector. “You might see several people employed in the same company due to their family ties with a member of the organization’s management. This is not fair,” she complained.

She blamed the Himan and Heb administration in Adado for failing to address rising unemployment and for not ensuring fairness and transparency in the job market. But Mohamed Hussein, who works at a privately-owned health centre in Adado, said hard work paid off. “I made much an effort to get my current job. I was offered it after the organization checked my educational background and competency for the position I applied for. I was never assisted by anybody to get it,” he said. Himan and Heb education and youth affairs secretary Ahmed Hussein Khayre said his ministry recruited in a professional way, by considering experience, competence and education of candidates. But he admitted there was an acute shortage of job opportunities in the town, leaving 60 per cent of Adado’s educated youths without jobs. Local professor Abdullahi Hirsi Dirshe called on unemployed youth to create their own jobs in fishing, farming and livestock, instead of pointing the finger at the failures of the local administration. Many young people say they are pushed to migrate because of the dearth of opportunities at home.

Somaliland Speaker: I will not step down until the exact date of elections be announced

17 Nov – Source: Radio Goobjoog – 173 words

The speaker of Somaliland parliament and the chairman of the opposition party Wadani Abdirahman Mohamed Irro held press conference in Hargeisa, he discussed wide range of issues including the no confidence motion tabled against him and the upcoming Somaliland elections. He noted that he will not step down until the exact date of Somaliland elections is announced confirming his candidacy for Somaliland presidential elections. The speaker also underlined that he will honor any decision taken by the Guurti delegates led by Suleiman Mohamud. The speaker also described the arrest of Somaliland MPs and journalists as unlawful and intolerable. The disagreement of Parliament’s low chambers, the House of Representatives has been postponed for two days. This move made possible by the elders from the upper chamber of Guurti help discourage the tabling of a no confidence motion against speaker Abdirahman Irro led by lawmakers from the ruling party, Kulmiye.

REGIONAL MEDIA

Tension remains high as Mombasa police recover eight grenades

17 Nov – Source: Coastweek/ Xinhua – 347 words

Tension remains in the coastal city of Mombasa on Monday after a Muslim youth was killed following the massive security operation conducted on two mosques. Police have raided two controversial mosques, Masjid Shuhaad and Sakina, to flush out radical youth who were allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks in the coastal city. More than 600 police officers have been deployed to various parts of the city to avert any possible attacks by the youth protesting the killing and raid of the two mosques. During the raid, the police arrested 251 Muslim youth, recovered eight hand grenades, a pistol with six rounds of ammunition, several crude weapons and ‘Jihad’ literature in CDs and DVDs. Mombasa divisional police commander Geoffrey Mayek told journalists that 11 mobiles and bomb making materials including chemicals, iron pipes, nails and marbles that are mixed to manufacture improvised explosive devices were also recovered.

Kenya police: White widow Samantha Lewthwaite is still in Somalia

17 Nov – Source: Standard Media – 311 words

Kenyan security agencies say wanted white widow Samantha Lewthwaite is still in Somalia. The Interpol office in Nairobi and Anti-Terror Police Unit said separately they had no confirmation Lewthwaite is dead in Ukraine as claimed. His security agencies’ reports were corroborated by the counter terror officials in Nairobi who also revealed the woman is living in southern Somalia. “We have checked with the Interpol headquarters and they say no confirmation has so far come from Ukraine to confirm she is dead. We stand by our earlier report that she is in Somalia,” said head of Interpol office in Nairobi Vitalis Okumu.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Terrorism fears cripple rotten aid system in hungry Somalia – expert

17 Nov – Source: Trust.org – 435 words

Aid workers in Somalia, which faces worsening hunger three years after famine struck the country, believe the humanitarian system is “rotten” and are hamstrung by fears of being prosecuted for aiding terrorists, an expert said. Last month, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on a rare visit to the Horn of Africa country said three million Somalis were in need of humanitarian aid. Aid workers blame drought, renewed fighting and a lack of humanitarian access for the crisis which has raised questions about what has been achieved since a 2011 famine killed 260,000 people. “We have been struck by a palpable sense of malaise amongst many of the Western humanitarian actors … that the system is rotten,” said Professor Daniel Maxwell from Tufts University’s Feinstein International Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA

CULTURE / OPINION / EDITORIAL / ANALYSIS / BLOGS/ DISCUSSION BOARDS

“Mr. Garaad speculated that the ministers’ call for the prime minister to resign would probably end the current political crisis that risks the fragile gains by the African Union forces and Somali government.”

Somali PM faces two tough choices after cabinet’s resignation call

17 Nov – Source: Radio Danan – words

Few hours after almost half the cabinet called for the prime minister to resign, Somali political analyst says the prime minister has two tough choices to end the current political stalemate. On a Facebook post Monday, Yusuf Garaad, the former BBC Somali editor says prime minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed should solve two puzzle games: Either to resign since he lost half of his cabinet’s majority vote or to form a new immediate cabinet, pending for 139 votes from the parliament to endorse it, which at this point seems unlikely. “That scenario will prolong the current ineffectiveness and chaos,” he said.